FORECAST FOR SEASON OPENER SOUNDS SOGGY
There might be an even longer wait for the start of the most anticipated Padres season in history.
Rain is in San Diego’s forecast for Thursday when the Padres are scheduled to play the Rockies at 1:10 p.m.
There have been three rainouts in Petco Park history. The most recent was May 7, 2017. There was also one on July 19, 2015. The other one was April 4, 2006, when the second game of the season was washed out.
Where many teams in the Midwest and East have a half-dozen or more rain delays in a season, the Padres have had just eight games delayed by rain since moving into Petco Park, the latest of those coming Sept. 9 before a game against the Dodgers.
The Padres also have had two games delayed by bees.
Tatis headed to Triple-A
It appears El Paso will finally get to see Fernando Tatis Jr. in person.
Plans are still being finalized, but Tatis is expected to play in Triple-A while getting ready for his Padres season debut, according to Tatis and team officials.
The plan is that he will remain in Arizona when the rest of the major leaguers depart following today’s Cactus League finale. The El Paso Chihuahuas, the Padres’ Triple-A affiliate, are in Sacramento for a four-game series beginning April 4.
Tatis is serving the final 20 games of his PED suspension at the start of this season. He can rejoin the Padres on April 20 for their game in Arizona. Suspended players are allowed a 15-day minor league assignment before returning to the majors.
Tatis likely could see comparable pitching in Double-A, but one of the benefits of his going to El Paso is his close relationship with manager Phillip Wellman and hitting coach Raul Padron. Both men were with Double-A San Antonio when Tatis was there in 2017 and ’18.
“They have been key for me since forever,” Tatis said.
The Chihuahuas are home April 11-16.
Tatis skipped Triple-A on his way to his big-league debut in 2019. He was expected to join the Chihuahuas at the end of his rehab assignment last August before his suspension was announced.
Notable
Left fielder Juan Soto took batting practice on the field Sunday for the first time since suffering a mild left oblique strain a week earlier. Soto is expected to play in a minor league game today with the idea he will be in the opening-day lineup if all goes well.
• Catcher Austin Nola had five at-bats in a minor league game and is expected to play in today’s Cactus League finale. Nola was hit in the face by pitch that fractured a bone in his nose. He said the main challenge he has when doing physical activity is breathing through his nose. He said wearing a nasal strip helps.
• After a spring of winnowing to four finalists, the Padres held what they deemed the PFP Championship of the World on Sunday morning. (PFP is Pitchers Fielding Practice.) “The Star Spangled Banner” played as Josh Hader stood atop the mound with a crown on his head and a bottle of champagne in his hand after beating out Jose Castillo (Venezuela), Nabil Crismatt (Colombia) and Luis Garcia (Dominican Republic).